A community celebration and grand-reopening of the re-developed Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Project and Park is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Falls park, 6501 Railroad Avenue S.E., Snoqualmie.

Come celebrate more than a century of Snoqualmie Falls’ rich cultural history and PSE’s continual commitment to renewable energy generation.

Planned are tours of the Historical Train Depot and Carpenter Shop, including new interpretive and educational exhibits and extensive park and trail enhancements. There will be food vendors, educational booths and kids’ crafts, plus giveaways and prizes, including a chance to win an overnight stay at Salish Lodge & Spa and get an exclusive tour of the hydroelectric project and park.

The new museum at the Falls features the equipment, some of it 100 years old, that was used in the earlier versions of the power plant, including a sturdy switch you can try to pull.

Now on display above ground, this huge turbine was excavated from a powerhouse under Snoqualmie Falls.

Audience members cheer when King County Councilwoman comments that she already has plans to be at the next PSE dedication event, jokingly scheduled for the year 2127.

PSE Construction Manager Dave Kramer, stationed at the weir of the power plant, described some of the changes made during the renovations of the past several years.

Water flows off the ledge from Powerhouse 1, taking with it any debris the "trash gates" captured before it reached the plant's intakes.

Tony Van Ginniken, right, offers a touring group a demonstration of how the power plant's "trash gates" work. The gates capture debris, like tree branches and garbage, and lift it out of the intake area, to keep the water flowing.

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